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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152271">Home Is Where You Can Pass Out Safely</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProbablyJozo/pseuds/TheCopperSoulBox'>TheCopperSoulBox (ProbablyJozo)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Living the Games [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Exhaustion, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Passing Out, Stardew Valley AU, good friends worry about each other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:36:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProbablyJozo/pseuds/TheCopperSoulBox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Where’s Fredo?” he asked, concern spiking through his lack of energy. Last he’d seen the guy, Alfredo had been sticking with Jack in the mines.</p><p>Lowering himself to the bed, Jack turned his head to the door. “I...don’t know. We left the mines together and I could have sworn he was right behind me.”</p><p>“Yet he’s not here now,” Jeremy whispered.</p><p>~</p><p>Alfredo uses up too much of his energy and struggles to get back home.</p><p>[Edited 17/10/2020]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Living the Games [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830316</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Home Is Where You Can Pass Out Safely</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is based off the Stardew Valley video from a couple of years ago where Alfredo passed out right next to the bed at the end of the video. I know I'm way late (and someone has probably done this already) but I just...wanted to.</p><p>Also all I know about Stardew Valley is what was in the AH vids and what I learned from the hour I played the game before my computer crashed, so I'm probably not completely accurate to the game.</p><p>Edit 17/10/2020: Swapped out some characters, changed a bit of the dialogue and took out the link to the Stardew vid. This is a comfort fic for me and I'd like to keep it that way for myself and others as much as I can!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jeremy’s eyes had long adjusted to the dark when the door to their house quietly creaked open. He knew he should have been asleep—his body felt sore from their day in the mines and he had to get up early to tend to the farm—but instead he found himself feeling wide awake as he watched Jack shuffle through the door, backlit by moonlight. Quietly, he pushed himself into a sitting position (mindful of Lindsay, who was fast asleep next to him) so he could better see his friend.</p><p>Jack spotted him after he’d turned and shut the door behind him.</p><p>“Hey,” he whispered, pulling his shoes off and moving further into the room. “Shouldn’t you be asleep? I know you’ve been home for a while now.”</p><p>Jeremy blinked and turned to the clock sitting by the bed, staring at it until the time registered in his head.<em> One in the morning. I’ve been here for an hour at this point.</em> “Wanted to wait,” he muttered, gaze following Jack as he tugged off his outer layers and got ready for bed. “I was...worried, I guess. Needed to see everyone get here safe.”</p><p>Jack hummed in response, and Jeremy knew he understood. It was the reason they all spent the nights together, after all—an innate need to know the others were safe. When the four had moved to Hunter Town together, they’d only really had each other, depending on the others being there should they fall prey to monsters or their own doubts. Even with some of the townsfolk helping them find their footing, they still mostly just trusted each other, finding comfort in the intimacy of knowing someone in an unknown place. The first couple nights in their separate huts had been uncomfortable at best, and Lindsay had quickly taken to spending the nights in Jeremy’s observably roomier living space, with Jack and Alfredo following suit once they caught on. While awkward at first, it had eased Jeremy’s heart to know his friends were all safe and with him.</p><p>He was shuffling across the bed to make room for Jack when he realised something was missing.</p><p>“Where’s Fredo?” he asked, concern spiking through his lack of energy. Last he’d seen the guy, Alfredo had been sticking with Jack in the mines.</p><p>Lowering himself to the bed, Jack turned his head to the door. “I...don’t know. We left the mines together and I could have sworn he was right behind me.”</p><p>“Yet he’s not here now,” Jeremy whispered, and Jack immediately pushed himself to his feet again.</p><p>“We need to find him,” he said, worry clear in the quiet of the room, but he swayed slightly on his feet and Jeremy instantly grabbed his wrist and tugged until he sat back down again.</p><p>“As much as I want to, that’s not the best idea,” he explained quietly. “We don’t know where he is, and you are definitely too tired to deal with anything that could be out there right now.”</p><p>“Dammit,” Jack muttered, his exhaustion causing him to sink into the mattress subconsciously. “So we just gotta wait?”</p><p>“Afraid so,” Jeremy said, causing Jack to sigh. His eyes were drooping, something the man was obviously trying to fight, and Jeremy watched him struggle for a moment before shifting to the edge of the bed. “Hey. You settle in and go to sleep, I’ll keep watch for Alfredo. If he isn’t here in an hour, I’ll wake you up and we’ll decide what to do then, alright?”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Jack asked, already moving to lay where Jeremy had just been despite himself. “You’ve been up for a long time.”</p><p>“So have you, Jack,” Jeremy pointed out. “But you’ve been spending that time walking back here while I’ve just been lying in bed. I think I have more energy. Go to sleep.”</p><p>“Alright, fine,” Jack murmured, eyes already closed and body relaxed. Within minutes he was asleep, and for a moment Jeremy simply watched him and Lindsay safe in their dreams, before he settled back against the headrest to wait for Alfredo’s return.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Alfredo winced as slime dripped off his sword, the blade somewhat shaking in his tired grip. It was late, and dark, and his energy had been used up mining a few too many ores (he’d been excited, alright?), so the trek back home had felt much longer than it usually did.</p><p>He could see the house, though—it was further away than he would have liked, but it was<em> there</em>, a beacon in the distance that promised rest. All he had to do was drag himself across the wild ground of future farmland and avoid anything that might want to rip his head off. Put like that it sounded easy; but his legs burned and his head was swimming and he could feel his heart hammering as each step stretched his limit. It would be so easy to collapse and close his eyes, let the exhaustion win over—but he couldn’t do that. He needed the others to know he was safe. He had to get back home.</p><p>He regretted letting Jack go on ahead of him. They’d left together—it would have been so easy to mention how tired he was, ask for some company on the walk. But Jack had seen the dark sky and seemed so anxious to get home, so Alfredo had let him walk away with the promise that he’d be okay on his own.</p><p>Now he knew not to make promises he wasn’t certain he could keep.</p><p>It took a frustratingly lengthy amount of time, but finally Alfredo found himself pawing at the door of the house, trying to muster enough energy to push it open. When he eventually twisted the doorknob enough for it to click, he stumbled into the house and basked in the familiar warmth that immediately enveloped him. His sword (still held in a weak grip because he’d been too fucking tired to lift his arms and sheathe the thing) slipped from his grasp and clattered on the wooden ground, much too loud in the quiet room. He could hardly find the energy to care.</p><p>In the corner of the room, a figure shot to attention at his presence.</p><p>“Fredo?” Jeremy whispered, a mix of concern and relief weaving around the sleepy tone of his voice. He sounded as tired as Alfredo felt.</p><p>Or maybe Alfredo felt worse. He couldn’t actually tell anymore.</p><p>“Hey, Jer’my,” Alfredo replied, voice slurring because he really didn’t have the energy to try talking properly. Mindlessly, his feet started carrying him towards the bed.</p><p>“Fredo, are you...are you alright?” Jeremy asked, shifting to face him and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, as if he was about to stand. Behind him, Jack stirred slightly.</p><p>“Mhm,” Alfredo hummed with a slight nod, his eyes slipping closed. He didn’t fight the motion, even though he was still standing, because he was home and his friends were there, and that was all that really mattered. They knew he was safe.</p><p>He didn’t know what happened after that.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“Shit!” Jeremy hissed, lunging forwards to catch Alfredo before he collapsed to the ground. He shook the man slightly, hoping for a response—but Alfredo didn’t react. He was unconscious.</p><p>“Wha’s hap’nin?” Jack murmured, blinking himself awake after hearing all the commotion.</p><p>“Alfredo got back,” Jeremy whispered. “He passed out.”</p><p>“What?!” Shocked out of his sleepy stupor, Jack took in the sight of Alfredo slumped against Jeremy in front of him. “What the...how long has it been?”</p><p>“Almost an hour, I was about to wake you up,” Jeremy replied, before cursing under his breath as his arms struggled with the effort of keeping Alfredo up. “Help me get him on the bed, would you?”</p><p>Gently, Jack shifted some of Alfredo’s weight off Jeremy, and the two of them manoeuvred the unconscious man around until he was lying on the bed next to Lindsay, looking like he was simply sleeping peacefully and hadn’t passed out less than a minute after getting home. Jack eased his shoes off his feet and Jeremy took his (deceptively heavy) pack and stored it with the others, reminding himself to check what was in it after they slept.</p><p>Only once they’d both settled back in the bed again (somewhat squashed, because the bed definitely wasn’t made to hold four people, but they’d made do the past couple nights and would make do tonight as well), did someone break the silence that had fallen over them.</p><p>“He must have been way past exhausted,” Jeremy muttered, staring worriedly at the unconscious man he was laying beside. “There’s no way that can be healthy, right? Shit, Jack, what if— what if he’s hurt? He might have damaged something, maybe permanently, and we wouldn’t know, how do we deal with that? What do we—”</p><p>“Hey now, enough of that,” Jack interrupted him, gently resting a reassuring hand on Jeremy’s arm. He couldn’t see Jeremy’s face, but he did feel the way he relaxed slightly under the touch. “How about this—I’ll go into town and find a doctor first thing in the morning, and we let Alfredo spend the day in bed. Make sure he’s fully recovered before we let him go and use up all his energy again.”</p><p>“...Yeah. Okay.” Jeremy shifted slightly, pressing closer to the touch, and Jack smiled to himself at the almost unconscious gesture. “You sure you’ll be alright getting up early? I know you’re tired as well.”</p><p>“I’m not as bad as Fredo,” Jack quipped, earning a soft snort from Jeremy. “I’ll be fine, Jeremy. We’re farmers, I’m used to it.”</p><p>“Okay,” Jeremy whispered, and they lapsed into silence again. For a moment Jack thought Jeremy had fallen asleep (and almost fell under himself), but then the shorter man huffed out a laugh. “God, Lindsay has no idea what’s going on.”</p><p>Jack smiled again, remembering the woman on the other side of the bed who’d remained asleep through all of the activity. “At least <em>she’s</em> getting rest.”</p><p>“How the fuck is she still asleep though? I would’ve thought she’d wake up at some point. You did.”</p><p>“I don’t know, but if she was awake, she’d tell us to shut our asses up and go to sleep.” Jack squeezed Jeremy’s shoulder playfully. “We should probably listen to her.”</p><p>“I guess,” Jeremy said with a chuckle. “Night, Jack.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Jeremy.”</p><p>“...Are you sure he’ll be alright?”</p><p>“Alfredo will be fine, Jeremy. I promise.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Alfredo woke up to the soft sound of humming and the weight of something pressing down on his stomach.</p><p>“Wh...Zipper?” he mumbled, one hand shifting tiredly to pet the dozing cat. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, surprised to see the room so bright. He’d definitely slept in past the normal waking up time. “What time is it?”</p><p>“Welcome back to the land of the living, Fredo-chan,” Lindsay greeted him from the dining table. When Alfredo lifted his head to look at her, he saw her sitting next to a cluster of bowls, two empty and the other two holding what looked like soup. Lindsay spooned some into her mouth before continuing. “I wouldn’t move too much if I were you, it might hurt. And, uh, since you asked, it’s ten-to-one.”</p><p>“In the afternoon?”</p><p>“Well, it’s pretty bright outside, I’d be worried if it was ten-to-one in the morning.”</p><p>“Damn.” Alfredo pushed himself up, wincing slightly at the ache in his muscles and ignoring Zipper, who had jolted awake at the movement and was now trying to scramble off his body. “Why’d you let me sleep in so late?”</p><p>“Doctor’s orders,” Lindsay replied easily, standing up and bringing their soup over to the bed, which they both knew Jeremy would get annoyed at if he found out (it was, after all, technically still his bed). After handing over his bowl, she sat down next to him. “Jack brought a guy over to make sure you were okay, he said you’d be fine as long as you rested. Although I don’t know how he was able to look you over while you were unconscious…” She trailed off, thinking that over for a second, before shrugging to herself. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Jeremy was also kinda freaked out because you, y’know, passed out on him, so he probably would have forced you to sleep in anyway.”</p><p>“Yeah, speaking of those two…” Alfredo glanced around the room again, gaze catching on the two empty bowls on the table. “Where are they?”</p><p>“Oh! Uh…” As she thought, Lindsay stood up again, taking her now empty bowl back to the table and setting it down. “Jack went back to town, and Jeremy said he’d go fishing, but he told me to…”</p><p>As if realising something, she strode over to the door and yanked it open, looking around before spotting whatever she’d been searching for. “There he is! Hey! JEREMY! HEYYY!”</p><p>“WHAT?!” Alfredo heard Jeremy shout in the distance.</p><p>“ALFREDO’S AWAKE!”</p><p>“OH SHIT!”</p><p>“Right, here he comes,” Lindsay announced, leaning against the door with a pleased smile on her face, and Alfredo couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics. Lindsay looked back at him, amused. “Oh, by the way, did you hear that Matt’s gonna come visit the farm?”</p><p>“Wait, he...really?”</p><p>“FREDO!” Jeremy burst through the door then, fishing rod clutched in one hand with a rotten can swinging off the line. He tossed the rod to the ground, racing to the bedside as Lindsay watched on. “You scared me, you goddamn lunatic— Wait, why are you eating in—? Actually, never mind, that doesn't matter.”</p><p>Alfredo laughed. “Nice to see you too, Jeremy.”</p><p>“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked, hands flitting over him as if he wanted to check him but wasn’t sure if he should.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Alfredo reassured him, pushing his hands away. “A little sore, but I’ll be okay.”</p><p>“Thank god,” Jeremy breathed out, lunging forward and pulling him into a hug, which left Alfredo fumbling to keep his bowl of soup upright and in his grip. “Don’t do that again, you hear me? Jesus.”</p><p>“Oh, are we hugging now?” Lindsay chimed in, walking up and wrapping her arms around both of them. “Nothing like an I-care-about-you hug to affirm your friendship!” Behind them, Zipper meowed, and Lindsay chuckled at the tabby. “You can be part of this friendship too, Zipper.”</p><p>“I’d hug you back, but I’m holding soup,” Alfredo said, settling for leaning into their warmth, and the others laughed.</p><p>“Oh man, if only Jack was here,” Jeremy said.</p><p>“He’s gonna kill us when he hears we hugged without him,” Alfredo quipped, drawing out another round of laughter that almost spilled soup on the bed.</p><p>“We can make it up to him later,” Lindsay said, and Alfredo smiled, surrounded by his friends and knowing he was safe.</p><p>It didn’t matter if they were all still new to this, or that they’d left behind the familiar to start a new life on their own—they had each other, and Alfredo knew that he’d truly found himself a home worth living for.</p>
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